Kira looked at the board and tilted her head. "What’s this?"

Kai looked at her, then at Connor. "Connor, get over here. We’re teaching the Queen how to play chess."

"I know what chess is," Kira defended.

"Knowing what it is and knowing how to play it are two entirely different things, Your Highness."

He was not wrong. Twenty minutes in, Kira slid a bishop diagonally across four squares in a direction that violated every rule the game had.

"You can’t do that," Connor pointed out with a chuckle.

"I just did."

"That’s not how the bishop moves."

"Well, it should be. This piece has a very limiting job description." She looked at the board, then at both of them. "Actually, this game is boring. Let’s go for a drive later."

Kai sat up immediately. "Say no more." He swept into a bow without getting out of the chair. "Your wish is my absolute command. I am, as always, entirely at your service."

"You are so extra," Connor said, nudging him.

"Thank you," Kai replied. "I work very hard at it."

The afternoon unwound easily from there. They played more chess, which Kira actually started to enjoy and swapped ridiculous stories until she forgot, for a little while at least, the conversation with Jessica and everything sitting beneath it.

Meanwhile, Derek and Dray had returned to the estates earlier than expected from their inspection of one of their dams.

Derek crossed the foyer, loosening his tie, already half-planning the stack of reports waiting on his desk, when laughter broke through the quiet of the house.

Deep, booming roars of it, punctuated by a high, bright peal that he recognised immediately as Kira’s.

He followed the sound to the lounge and stopped in the doorway. Kira was doubled over, her face flushed and beautiful as she laughed at something Kai was saying. They were all sitting on the rug, the chessboard between them.

Something tightened around Derek’s chest. Leo let out a low snarl. His beast didn’t like it. He didn’t like the way she seemed entirely free and warm in another man’s company.

"What is going on here?" Derek asked, his voice cutting through the mirth like a blade.

The laughter died instantly. Kira straightened up, still giggling, eyes bright with it.

"Oh, you’re back!" she chirped, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Kai was just telling me about the time he tried to ride a wild stallion when he was twelve and ended up face-first in a gorse bush."

She turned her attention back to the game board, as if his presence didn’t even matter. Kai, however, was never one to waste a good opportunity.

"Greetings, Your Grace," He drawled, his voice dripping with mock formality. "Don’t mind us. Some of us are simply enjoying the company of people who actually have a personality."

Derek ignored the jab, his amber eyes fixed on his cousin with a death glare that would have reduced a lesser man to ash.

"What are you doing in Dravengard, Kai? And why are you making her laugh so much?"

Kira snorted, folding her arms over her chest. "Making me laugh so much? Are you jealous or something?"

"No." The word came out immediately and with perhaps slightly too much force. "I’m not jealous. Why on earth would I be jealous over some laughter?" The bite underneath his words was not particularly well hidden.

Kai chuckled, shaking his head with great fondness. "Easy, tiger. No need to take our heads off. Laughing is an excellent way to relieve stress, as any reasonable person will tell you."

"Whoever came up with that rubbish is a fool," Derek said.

Kai barked a laugh, glancing over at Connor. The head Gamma had suddenly found something deeply fascinating about the window frame, turning away with a stoic expression that screamed he wanted no part of this domestic crossfire.

Kira, meanwhile, watched her husband through narrowed, knowing eyes.

"Why does our laughing bother you so much?" Kai asked. "Or are you actually a sadist who doesn’t want his wife to be happy?"

Derek’s jaw worked. The honest answer, which he had absolutely no intention of giving, was that it wasn’t the laughter itself that grated on him; it was how easily it came for Kai. How effortless. To mask the sudden, irrational ache in his chest, he blurted out the first ridiculous thing that came to mind.

"Laughing that much will only hurt her cheeks."

Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and strode out of the room.

The lounge held a stunned silence for approximately two seconds.

Then all three of them exchanged glances and dissolved into barely-contained laughter, hands clamped over mouths to keep the sound from echoing down the hall.

"Did he actually just say that?" Kai gasped, wiping a tear from his eye. "What on earth did you do to him at Snow Crest? Derek has never in his life said anything that was accidentally funny."

Kira spread her hands, her shoulders shaking. "I genuinely have no idea what you’re talking about."

Kai shook his head slowly, grinning as though he’d just witnessed something rare and precious. "You’ve brought out the teddy bear in him," he said. "I never thought I’d live to see the day."

Kira cackled. "A teddy bear. Right. I’ll believe that when I see solid evidence." She pushed herself off the carpet. "Anyway. I’m going to change into something suitable for a drive. I’ll be down in ten."

"Take your time," Kai called after her. "I need time for my ribs to stop aching!"

She found Derek in their bedroom. His jacket was tossed onto a chair, and he was pointedly ignoring her as he unbuckled his wristwatch.

The "do not disturb" aura he was radiating was thick enough to choke on, but Kira only smiled, still buzzing from the scene downstairs.

"I’m going for a drive with Kai," she announced, heading into the walk-in wardrobe. "Don’t wait up."

Derek grunted. "I wasn’t planning to."

"Great."

She changed quickly into slim-fit jeans and a soft cream jumper, shook her hair loose, and walked back into the bedroom. Sitting right in the centre of the bed was the oversized teddy bear she had named ’Derek.’

She patted its head solemnly. "Behave yourself," she whispered loudly enough for the human Derek to hear. "Be a good boy while I’m out."

Derek glowered at her, his eyes darting between her and the plush toy. He looked as though he were debating the legalities of bear-burning. She flashed him a radiant smile and slipped out of the room.

The moment the door clicked shut, Derek’s gaze snapped to the bear. With a low growl, he lunged across the bed, grabbed the toy by its fuzzy ear, and dumped it onto the floor.

"That’s where you belong," he muttered, adjusting his cuffs. "On the floor."

He started going towards the wardrobe, telling himself he didn’t care. Let them drive until the tank ran dry. Let Kai entertain her with his stupid stories. He had reports to read.

But when Kira’s laughter floated up from the balcony below, Derek was at the window before he’d fully decided to move. He looked down to see Kai holding her hand as he walked her towards his car, saying something that made her tip her head back and laugh again.

Leo went completely feral.

Derek watched for a moment longer than he should have. Then he turned, picked his suit jacket up off the chair, and shrugged it back on.

"I’m only doing this because of her condition," he muttered to the empty room, as if trying to convince himself. "Kai drives like a lunatic. He’s reckless. He doesn’t know she’s carrying. Only I can ensure her safety."

Downstairs, Kira and Kai were almost at the car, with Connor and the security detail trailing at a respectful distance. The front doors of the mansion burst open.

"Stop!"

They all turned, staring at him in confusion. Derek reached them in a few long strides and took Kira’s hand firmly out of Kai’s grip, tucking it into the crook of his own arm.

"I’ve decided I feel like a drive this evening," Derek announced, his tone clipped and possessive. "So, I am coming along."

Kira squinted up at him, the corners of her mouth twitching with suppressed amusement. "I thought you were tired, Derek."

"I’m not tired. Did I say I was tired? I am completely capable of driving."

Kai, catching the possessive glint in his cousin’s eyes, suddenly let out a fake gasp. He pulled his phone from his pocket, staring at a blank screen.

"Oh no." He pressed his free hand to his forehead. "I completely forgot I had an appointment." He looked up at Kira with a completely unconvincing expression of regret. "I’m so sorry, Your Highness. I’ll have to bail."

He turned to Derek with a knowing smirk on his face and sent a pointed message through their mind-link:

Better make sure she has fun, Drek. Try not to be a bore, you possessive menace.

Then, he kissed Kira on the cheek, hopped into his car, and sped off with a spray of gravel and a triumphant honk of the horn.

Derek watched the car disappear down the drive, and his pulse settled. He turned to Brent, one of the gammas.

"Bring the Ferrari to the front. Now." He then looked at Connor and the rest of the security detail. "The rest of you have the evening off. Nobody follows us into town."

They dispersed with varying degrees of visible confusion.

Derek turned back to find Kira studying him, arms folded and head slightly tilted.

"What?" he demanded.

She let out a soft snort, her eyes raking over his stiff posture. "Derek... do you think we’re going to a board meeting or what? Why on earth are you wearing a suit?"